Global law firm Dentons has advised the Sharqiyah Desalination Company (SDC) on the expansion and refinancing of the Sur desalination project in Oman.

Dentons acted as both international and Omani law counsel for the project, which will cost approximately $200 million and add an additional 10.6 million gallons per day (gpd) capacity to the existing plant.

The project is a world-class solution for Sharqiyah region, which is growing in economic importance and population, said Dentons in a statement.

“Working with long-standing client SDC and its major shareholders, Veolia and the Bahwan group, was especially satisfying in this case as we worked together to meet the urgent increasing water needs of the Sharqiyah region,” said Jon Nash, Dentons' energy, transport and infrastructure partner.

Nash had also advised sponsors Sumitomo Corporation and Malakoff International on the Ghubrah desalination project, the last Omani independent water project (IWP) to reach financial close.

“It was a complex transaction, particularly as it involved a brownfield expansion and a refinancing but even more rewarding to close, given its importance for the region,” he remarked.

Dentons is also currently advising Singapore-based Hyflux, a leading provider of integrated water management and environmental solutions, on its bid to develop and finance the Qurayat IWP project.

Earlier, Dentons helped Japanese chemical company Sumitomo Chemical on the $8-billion Petro Rabigh petrochemical complex expansion in Saudi Arabia.